Microsoft recently considered developing a ‘super app’ that would incorporate shopping, messaging, news, web search, and other services, as first reported by The Information on December 6.
The ‘super app’ will challenge Alphabet’s Google and Apple’s hold on the mobile search space, according to sources familiar with the matter. Moreover, the move could also boost the Redmond-based tech giant’s advertising business and Bing search, as well as attract more users to Teams messaging and other mobile services, according to The Information.
As per the report, Microsoft does not currently operate an app store on mobile, unlike Apple and Google. With this, Microsoft hopes to follow Tencent’s footsteps into creating an app like WeChat—combining messaging, shopping, online gaming and other myriad of services that a useful on a day-to-day basis.
It is unclear when Microsoft may launch the ‘super app,’ but the matter has been internally discussed, and the company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has reportedly pushed for “Bing search engine to work better with other Microsoft mobile products.”
So far, Microsoft’s Bing has been at a competitive disadvantage thanks to the multi-billion dollar deal between Apple and Google—letting Google be the default search engine on the Safari browser for all Apple devices—including iPad and iPhone.
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